A corporate CEO recently spent $10 MILLION for his daughter's Bat Mitzvah party!
David Brooks, CEO of a huge defense contractor, DHB Industries, booked two floors of the Rainbow Room in New York last weekend, and arranged command performances by 50 Cent, Tom Petty, Aerosmith, Eagles Don Henley and Joe Walsh, Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks, DJ AM, rap diva Ciara, and Kenny G. for over 300 guests, who listened during their pre-dinner cocktails.
And there are pictures to prove it.
And one other thing: Defense contractor? Hey! That's our money!

12.01.2005

You may have been following the horrendous capital murder trial of Joseph Smith (not the Mormon) in Florida. Tonight the jury voted 10-2 to impose the death penalty.
10-2?
In Texas, it requires a unanimous vote.

The cops stopped this new couple the other night and, after smelling alcohol on the Vaughn's breath, investigated him for possible DUI.
The most amazing thing was that they let him go. (I think the law is in Texas is that an officer smells alcohol on your breath, then you must be arrested, but I'm not sure about that).

This was printed in the Dallas Morning News today. (They named names and that name was one of their own - in a story not really worthy of publishing).
"A Hockaday student was arrested and two others were issued citations on alcohol charges after police broke up a party of about 50 teenagers in Highland Park on Friday night, police said. Highland Park police said a 17-year-old girl posted $256 bond on a public intoxication charge after a party in the 4200 block of Armstrong Drive. The two other students, including a child of Jim Moroney, the publisher and chief executive officer of The Dallas Morning News, were issued tickets for underage drinking. Those two are also Hockaday students, police said."
Sounds like one heck of a rich kid party, though.

11.30.2005

Ok, we all know about the Fort Worth officer clinging to life after being shot yesterday. Well, tonight, FWPD announces there will be a press conference to update the condition of the officer. Fox 4 News, anticipating his death and the poster child for sensationalism, runs this graphic at 9:55 p.m. as they explain that the officer's condition had only taken a turn for the worse.
Bottom line: They expected the officer to be dead. They prepared the graphic. And then posted the graphic on live television even though the officer was still alive.

A Haltom City police sergeant has been fired and two detectives disciplined for taking soft drinks from a refrigerator while executing a search warrant.
Two other police detectives with the suburban Fort Worth department who witnessed the theft received written reprimands for failing to report it.
Sergeant Dennis Ochs was fired over the incident at a Haltom City house, and detectives Josh Boyd and Roger Dale were suspended for 15 days and ten days respectively. Ochs and Boyd have filed appeals with Haltom City's Civil Service Commission.
The case has been turned over to Fort Worth police for consideration of criminal charges.
(Source)

11.29.2005

....today which happened in Tarrant County (but only a stones throw away from Wise County). The alleged gunman, after shooting the officer, reportedly fled to a random neighbor's house (occupied by a mother and daughter) and broke the door in.
(1) According to Fox 4 News tonight "The mother managed to call 911 and escape but the daughter remained with the gunman." Say what? (Update: The "daughter" was 24 years old so that makes it a little different).
(2) You have to like that shot of the the paramedic checking the guy's blood pressure after he had surrendered but before he was placed into the police car.
(3) The injured officer (I hope it's only "injured") has a 9 year old daughter and 4 year old son.

. . . the television commercials this time of year where one spouse surprises the other spouse with a new car. (The current Lexus commercial come to mind).
Why doesnt' the "surprised spouse" look at her mate and scream, "Are you freakin' crazy?!! We can't afford this!"

Southlake Carroll is marching through the playoffs again and I saw today that they are 60-1 since entering the 5A classification in 2002. Of course, they were just as dominant in 3A and 4A.
How is that possible? Year after year? A completely different set of athletes every four years and they don't miss a beat.

The 1.000th person to be executed by the government (since the death penalty was reinstated in 1977) is scheduled for Wednesday.
Give it a 100 years, but society will look back at us as being barbaric for this practice.

I noticed this weekend in the sports page that "Prestonwood Christian Acadamy" had won some private school football championship. I wondered if the team was associated with the Prestonwood Baptist Mega-Church in Dallas. A little research (shout out to Mr. Jones, here) revealed that it was.
But get this over-the-top description of the football team on the church's website:
"Prestonwood Christian Academy's goal is to utilize football as a unique educational tool that will glorify God by developing Biblical character qualities as we equip young men intellectually, physically, and socially in Christ so that they may use their gifts and talents to impact their culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ."
And I just thought they were running the West Coast Offense.

Update from a previous blog:
"A Springtown woman headed to Federal prison is found dead at an Irving motel. Sixty year old Daryla Julian was supposed to surrender herself to authorities the day before her death. She was to begin serving a nine year prison sentence following her conviction last month on drug trafficking charges. She was found dead in a motel room on Nov. 19th from an apparent suicide. Julian and her 39 year old daughter, pled guilty to transporting an estimated 11,000 pounds of Marijuana in order to support their large Parker County horse ranch."
Source

I noted that former Decatur resident Joe Armes got his picture in the Morning News today next to Tom Hicks and Tom Hicks, Jr. The three guys form the "executive team" for Hicks Holdings LLC. They are doing some business transaction which just smells like money.

From the Dallas Morning News' website's homepage:
Irvin faces drug paraphernalia charge
"Former Cowboy Michael Irvin, a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was arrested Friday in Plano and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.
Police pulled Mr. Irvin over for speeding in the northbound lanes of the Dallas North Tollway south of Spring Creek Parkway about 3:30 p.m. A computer check showed that Mr. Irvin had an outstanding warrant for speeding in Irving.
A search of Mr. Irvin's car turned up drug paraphernalia, police said. Mr. Irvin was arrested and booked into Plano city jail. He was also given a citation for speeding.
He paid the Irving fine and bond on the drug charge and was released at about 4:45 p.m., police said. It was unclear Sunday what the amount of the bond was. "